Researchers

In the United States, Brazil, Africa, and elsewhere around the globe, Arcomusical is creating vital connections between people in order to celebrate, re-think, and transform this beautiful instrument. What drives the Arcomusical mission is Dr. Gregory Beyer’s deep fascination with the instrument itself and its Brazilian and African roots. His 2004 DMA thesis, “O Berimbau: A Project of Ethnomusicological Research, Musicological Analysis, and Creative Endeavor,” is a 220+ page manuscript that discusses musical bows in Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, and South Africa; provides over 50 pages of transcriptions; and details the creative work Beyer developed parallel to his research. More recently, during a sabbatical year and Fulbright work in Brazil, Beyer generated another 100+ pages of transcriptions of historic and contemporary berimbau playing within capoeira music. It was this effort that attracted the attention of Mestre Cobra Mansa in late 2015 and resulted in the invitation to present and perform at the First Bow Music Conference in Durban, South Africa, in February 2016. There, ArcomusicalBrasil had the opportunity to present and learn from bow musicians and scholars from around the globe.Research relationships within this network of musicians and scholars are now ongoing, resulting in interviews, articles, and the development of future gatherings.